Christie well-known but not well-liked among Republicans, new poll shows

That's a key takeaway from a Gallup poll released this week that showed the brash New Jersey governor garners the highest unfavorable numbers compared to other 2016 hopefuls. Christie's one of the better-known Republicans likely to run for president, but a whopping 31 percent of GOP voters report they have an unfavorable opinion of him. Gallup based those findings on interviews with Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, which have a margin of error of four percentage points.

See the gallery below to find out where other candidates from the GOP's 2016 pool rank:

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Potential Republican Presidential Candidates

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Christie well-known but not well-liked among Republicans, new poll shows

Rand Paul

Unfavorable Opinion: 15%

Familiarity: 64%

Favorable Opinion: 49%

Photo Credit: Mark Wilson/Getty Images

Marco Rubio

Unfavorable Opinion: 8%

Familiarity: 55%

Favorable Opinion: 47%

Photo Credit: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Ted Cruz

Unfavorable Opinion: 13%

Familiarity: 57%

Favorable Opinion: 44%

Photo Credit: Erich Schlegel/Getty Images

Chris Christie

Unfavorable Opinion: 31%

Familiarity: 71%

Favorable Opinion: 40%

Photo Credit: Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images

Rick Santorum

Unfavorable Opinion: 21%

Familiarity: 56%

Favorable Opinion: 35%

Photo Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Jeb Bush

Unfavorable Opinion: 20%

Familiarity: 76%

Favorable Opinion: 56%

Photo Credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images

Rick Perry

Unfavorable Opinion: 18%

Familiarity: 66%

Favorable Opinion: 48%

Photo Credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images

Mike Huckabee

Unfavorable Opinion: 16%

Familiarity: 72%

Favorable Opinion: 56%

Photo Credit: Mark Wilson/Getty Images

TAMPA, FL - AUGUST 29: Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee waves while taking the stage during the third day of the Republican National Convention at the Tampa Bay Times Forum on August 29, 2012 in Tampa, Florida. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney was nominated as the Republican presidential candidate during the RNC, which is scheduled to conclude August 30. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Bobby Jindal

Unfavorable Opinion: 7%

Familiarity: 40%

Favorable Opinion: 33%

Photo Credit: Tom Williams/Getty Images

Scott Walker

Unfavorable Opinion: 5%

Familiarity: 46%

Favorable Opinion: 41%

Photo Credit: Bill Clark/Getty Images

Ben Carson

Unfavorable Opinion: 3%

Familiarity: 39%

Favorable Opinion: 36%

Photo Credit: Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images

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The two other well-known Republicans among the potential 2016 poll, Jeb Bush and Mike Huckabee, enjoy comparable levels of recognition but also have far more positive ratings. The former governors of Florida and Arkansas, respectively, are known by more than two-thirds of GOP voters and favored by more than half of them. Huckabee has the highest net positive, with only 16 percent reporting they feel unfavorably about him compared to 56 percent who have a favorable opinion.

The survey indicates that other likely contenders, including Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and neurosurgeon-turned-activist Ben Carson, have room to grow. All three are recognized by less than half of the Republican and Republican-leaning independents questioned, but have generally favorable ratings from those who do know them.

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, who ran in 2012, has some tough numbers to overcome as well, with only a 14 percent net positive rating and less name recognition than Christie.